COLUMBIA, Mo. – A relationship between epilepsy and heightened religious experiences has been recognized since at least the 19th century. In a recent study, researchers from the University of Missouri found a neurological relationship exists between religiosity— a disposition for spiritual experience and religious activity—and epilepsy. This finding sheds light on the connection between religion and neuropsychological processes within the human brain.

Julius Riles, an assistant professor of communication, says one of the things that attracted him to the University of Missouri was a proposed media diversity center. Prior to his hiring last fall, Riles had been in contact with MU Associate Professor Lissa Behm-Morawitz, and the pair discovered their research interests aligned closely.

Dennis Kelley, an associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies, serves as the coordinator of the new minor in Native American Indigenous Studies.

Most Missourians probably are aware of their state’s Native American heritage, if for no other reason than the plethora of Native American place names such as Miami, Neosho, Osceola, and Tecumseh, to name just a few.

2017 is turning out to be a very good year for MU’s Department of Geological Sciences. The department is in the process of installing the first micro-CT scanner on campus, which will allow researchers across campus to analyze samples three-dimensionally without destroying them, as well as a highly customized scanning electron microscope.

The College of Arts and Science honored three distinguished alumni and two friends of the college for their distinguished service to the college during the Arts and Science banquet at the Reynolds Alumni Center Feb. 17. Recipients Jeanne Sinquefield, Rick Ross, Mark Wilkins, and Paul Leath pose for a photo during the reception (not pictured – Yvonne Clark)

The College of Arts and Science honored three distinguished alumni and two friends of the college for their distinguished service to A&S during the 36th annual Arts and Science Banquet at the Reynolds Alumni Center, Feb. 17. The banquet, the culmination of Arts and Science Week on campus, is a celebration of all things A&S.

The University of Missouri has faculty members spread across the Columbia campus who study various aspects of the Korean peninsula. Until now, MU has lacked a central location where these scholars of Korea can discuss their work, collaborate on research projects, and find new research opportunities. The Institute for Korean Studies (IKS), which opens Feb. 9, will serve as a focal point for research about the Korean peninsula.

For more than 20 years, MU Assistant Teaching Professor Martin Holman has worked in the traditional Japanese puppet theater commonly known as Bunraku. For the past 12 years, he has directed a theater troupe, Bunraku Bay Puppet Theater, made up largely of his former MU students.

Colleen Heflin, professor in the MU Truman School of Public Affairs, found that SNAP benefits may be beneficial in reducing visits to the emergency room, saving money for families, health care facilities and taxpayers.

COLUMBIA, Mo. –In 2014, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a federal program to address food insecurity in the United States, provided $70 billion in nutrition support to 46.5 million families and children living in 22.7 million American households. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP benefits reduced the incidence of extreme poverty by 13.2 percent and child poverty by 15.5 percent between 2000 and 2009.

A new chess rating system developed by a team including J. Isaac Miller, an associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri, creates a single rating that has proven to be more accurate than the ratings systems currently in use.

Chess players who are rated by the World Chess Federation are ranked three different ways—how they fare in a classical game that allows two hours for the first 60 moves, how they fare in a 30-minute rapid chess game, and how well they perform in blitz chess, which is a game played in five minutes or less.

Tiger Pantry is located on Rock Quarry Road south of Stadium Blvd. at University Surplus Property, and students can visit the pantry once a month for dry goods and every week for produce. Meal plans will be considered produce, so students can come in each week to receive more transferred meals.

Beginning this week, MU students can transfer up to 10 meals to help feed their fellow students. Faculty, staff, and students from the College of Arts and Science, Campus Dining Services, Missouri Student Association, Residence Halls Association, Tiger Pantry, and other organizations have spent the past few months developing a pilot program that will allow students to transfer unused meals to students who may be food insecure.

Basket weaving, or simply basketry, is one of the most ubiquitous and oldest forms of craft making in human civilization, with some of the oldest known baskets dating back nearly 12,000 years. Early basket makers used materials close at hand, such as grass, wood, even animal remains—which decay over time without proper preservation—so much of the early history of the craft has been lost.

Committed to engaging with the communities it serves, MU's College of Arts and Science offers Beyond Campus, a series that showcases the range and relevance of the college's research and programs, which serve as the foundation for all undergraduates at MU, whether they major in an A&S discipline or not. The events in this series are intended for the general public, including alumni, business and community leaders, and prospective students.

Prof. Hearne’s upcoming book, Chickasaw Hollywood: The Fox Brothers and the Studio System, 1914–1954, focuses on the history of the first indigenous family of writer–directors in Hollywood.

Until recently, most depictions of indigenous people in films and documentaries were of the stereotypical “cowboys versus Indians” variety or tales of the “vanishing Indians” who once proudly roamed the plains of early America. A common misconception about the early years of Hollywood is that indigenous people were actors or extras but never writers, directors, or heads of studios.

Committed to engaging with the communities it serves, MU's College of Arts and Science offers Beyond Campus, a series that showcases the range and relevance of the college's research and programs, which serve as the foundation for all undergraduates at MU, whether they major in an A&S discipline or not. The events in this series are intended for the general public, including alumni, business and community leaders, and prospective students.

Dawn Cornelison, an associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri, has been named as a recipient of a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

The University of Missouri Research Reactor Center, or MURR, has received a new 20-year operating license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Research Reactor Center (MURR®) has received a new 20-year operating license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). MURR has been a crucial component for research at the university for more than 40 years.

About eight years ago, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Mark Lee Jr. was in the lab trying to make a simple ether compound from a boron-oxygen-hydrogen bond. He injected the mixture he was trying to manipulate into his lab’s new mass spectrometer and found the reaction he was trying to achieve had failed.

Some of the many students who will benefit from a new music facility are shown at the site of the new building, of which construction was approved by the Board of Curators.

The University of Missouri Board of Curators today approved plans to construct a new School of Music building on the Columbia campus. The board’s action allows Phase 1 of the project to move forward; fundraising will continue toward Phase 2 of the overall plan, which includes a 500-seat concert hall.

More than 2,500 degrees will be granted at MU fall commencement ceremonies.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – During the weekend of Dec. 16-18, 2,400 students will celebrate the culmination of their academic achievements during fall commencement ceremonies at the University of Missouri. Throughout the weekend, MU officials will award 2,563 degrees, including 1,911 bachelor’s degrees, 488 master’s degrees, 151 doctoral degrees, 3 professional degrees and 10 education specialists’ degrees.

Chief Harrington says he considers his invitation to speak at the winter 2016 Arts and Science Commencement a capstone event in his career.

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. William Harrington has completed tours of duty in Afghanistan, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, and even the White House. He currently serves as superintendent of the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, where he handles training, safety, morale, welfare, and quality-of-life issues for 3,200 personnel.